1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle compartment partition and the hinge assembly associated with the partition that includes a torsion rod as the hinge pin journaled within the hinge leafs as well as a method for assembling the hinge.
2. Background Art
The construction of a movable vehicle partitioning panel, for example, a panel at the rear of the passenger compartment of a pickup truck style body type, raises challenges for vehicle manufacturers. The interior as well as the exterior surfaces must be compatible with the adjacent interior compartment and exterior compartments of the vehicle. In addition, the mounting mechanism may be concealed for aesthetic purposes, but the panel must be stable in upright and lowered positions. As a result, any attempt to make the panel displaceable, for example, a pivot axis mounting, preferably one that includes lift assist, must be compactly packaged without affecting the aesthetic appearance or the functionality of the panel. For example, previously known mechanisms for displacing or removing vehicle body partitions, such as pickup truck style tailgates, may occupy substantial spaces in the adjacent rear body panels of the vehicle, and such space is not available near the front of the bed where other body panel features such as door supports, glass supports, hinge supports and lock supports must be aesthetically and functionally retained at the same location.
One example of a previously known tailgate mounting unit that permits pivoting of the tailgate uses a torque rod and first and second hinge sets at spaced apart positions. However, while long torque rods extending through spaced hinge sets improve available torque and cycle life of the hinge, such extended length or rod constructions lack self containment of the hinge and require adjacent support structures. As a result, the hinge structures are not so easily assembled with numerous parts coupled about the torque rod.
Another known tailgate hinge design that employs lift assistance in the form of coiled or clock spring type torsion devices are expensive to construct and generate such problems such as cycle noise and poor cycle life, due to binding between the numerous coils of the torsion spring structure in the panel mounting assembly. Moreover, previously known self-contained hinges with torque rods and spring designs do not provide a sufficient length of wire in which torsion energy can be generated to displace opposite ends of the torsion rod and thus the leaf members of the hinge set, when the hinge parts are mounted to large or massive structures.
The present invention overcomes the above mentioned disadvantages by providing a vehicle partitioning or compartment enclosing panel with a mounting assembly including a hinge with a plurality of hinge sets and a torsion rod self-contained in the hinge sets. Preferably, each hinge set receives a common torsion pin to maximize spring length in a limited cross car width that limits the onboard distance between the hinge sets. In addition, use of two separated hinge sets ease installation of the hinge, but more hinge sets can be added if additional support or pivot strength is desired.
The present invention also provides a method for forming common torsion pin hinge with a plurality of hinge sets in which the torsion pin has an elongated leg that extends through aligned first and second bores in the first and second leaf parts, respectively, bending an end of the pin to a return bent position, and retracting the return bent portion into engagement with the leaf structure. The other end of the torsion pin is retained by engagement with the other leaf part. Preferably, the engagement is performed by a retainer formed as a return bent portion of a hinge leaf plate. The bent portion of the plate can be clamped against an end, preferably a bent end, of the torsion pin to minimize assembly structures and techniques during production.
In another embodiment, the panel may be biased by the hinge for torsional force assistance when the panel is displaced from a retracted, e.g. laid down, position to an upright, e.g. vertical, position. In such a case, both ends of the torque rod may be return bent since the leg at an end of the rod leaf may be resiliently restrained against the fixed, e.g. floor mounted, leaf of one hinge set.
As a result, the present invention provides a vehicle compartment partition or end wall for a vehicle body having a floor panel to be partitioned or confined. A frame structure for the partition includes a mount for a hinge leaf, and the hinge leaf contains a portion with a bore adapted to be aligned to a bore in a second pivot portion on a second leaf adapted to be mounted to the floor panel. A torsion rod having an elongated leg extending through the aligned first and second pivot portions, includes ends that are retained with respect to one and the other of the leafs, respectively, to form an integral structure. The leafs of each hinge set are then readily mounted to the frame structure of the partition panel and the floor panel, respectively. Preferably, the ends of the torsion rod are bent to define an included angle of neutral torsion less than and intermediate to the upright and retracted positions of the panel.